Florida Gators Send Message to Teams Looking to Poach Todd Golden

The Florida Gators were just stunned by the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending Florida's bid at winning back-to-back national championships.

Now, the Gators may have to worry about losing head coach Todd Golden, as well.

There has been rampant speculation that Golden could bolt Gainesville for another school, with North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas all being floated as possibilities.

However, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has made it very clear that no one is going to do everything in his power to ensure that Golden stays in The Swamp.

"When we have talented, successful coaches, we're going to do everything we can to make sure they know that they are appreciated at the University of Florida," Stricklin said. "We've given Todd new contracts each of the last two years. He's a priority for the University of Florida, and we're going to treat him as such."

Golden took over as Gators head coach in 2022 and went 16-17 during his first season at the helm. Overall, however, he has gone 103-41 at Florida, including 63-12 over the last couple of years.

The 40-year-old signed a five-year contract extension with the Gators last spring, averaging $6.75 million in average annual salary. Stricklin noted that Florida is looking to sign him to another extension to boost his pay.

"Todd wants to be at the University of Florida," Stricklin added. "I wish all those [other] programs really good luck. I'm sure they'll find a good coach out there, and I'm glad Todd's going be here for a long time."

Golden began his head-coaching career at San Francisco in 2019, spending three seasons with the Dons and leading them to a 57-36 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. He then accepted the job at Florida.

The Gators have been one of the most successful college basketball programs over the last couple of decades, winning three national titles since 2006. That included back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007 when Billy Donovan was head coach.

Golden hasn't quite reached that level yet, but there is no question that he has established himself as one of the best coaches in the country.

We'll see if he does end up staying put for the long haul.

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